Bowed Internal Wall

[El Caporal]

Hi all,

I have an internal wall with a bulge/raised section along about 75% the length of the wall in question. My house is built on a slope so I know that movement is likely to have caused this over time, prior to me moving in.

What I am unsure about it the best solution to remedy and level out the wall? I’m not sure if the wall is plasterboard or lathe and plaster but the house was built in 1935 so guessing the latter?

Cheers!

 

[Sunshine32]

Hi,

I had bulging walls in a bedroom for 15years and didn’t know why. It turns out the plasterer decided to plaster only half the wall under the window and so the walls looked pregnant. I discovered this by stripping off the wallpaper and probing. I’ve had the offending walls hacked back and re-plastered.

As in my case, there is no option other than to find out by probing. My house is 1920s, internal walls are lathe and plaster but external walls are brick.

Is that wall under a window? Are those water leaks I can see in the far right of the photo? What are those score lines in the wall for?

Edit: I’m not sure why you think because your house is built on a slope that the problem may be down to movement, unless of course you have the tell-tale cracks above window and door frames or other places?

 

[El Caporal]

Thanks for the reply!

The whole wall/room is plastered so it can’t be that issue for me. Yeah it’s under a window and yes there is the tell tale cracks at some of the other doors and windows on other rooms at the back of this house (where this room is). Perhaps it isn’t that but that was just an uneducated guess from me!

No staining or marks etc present. The lines are just me marking up the wall as I am putting up wooden panels on the walls. Hence why I was looking to get to the bottom of this prior to the decorating starting.

Any other thoughts from anyone other that having to strip the wall back to investigate and then re-plaster?

Thanks

 

[Sunshine32]

If you have subsidence or suspect you do, you should be talking to a structural engineer and not a forum. Not to be rude.

 

[El Caporal]

I don’t believe I have a subsidence issue I had just wondered if slight movement over the years may have caused an issue to a shoddy plaster job or the like. I have one of two small cracks above windows but nothing to worry about and neighbours living nearby have similar.

Just thought that someone may have been able to give me advice of what this may be and what would be the best course of action.

 

[Sunshine32]

Can I be honest? You’ve supplied one pic of the bow in the wall and that’s it. You think you have movement but want to disqualify that as a reason. Fair enough.

You’ve decided because you have had it all plastered and carpeted and painted that naturally you don’t want to disturb it.

So how do you think anyone of us can tell you or help you diagnose the issue? No-one can diagnose a condition with a blindfold on, not even a doctor.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[Brigadier]

I have an internal wall with a bulge/raised section along about 75% the length of the wall in question.

Definitely an internal wall?
Just checking, as there appears to be a window in it (which would be less common than being in an external wall).